Brothers and Rivals A look back at football’s rich history in Del Rio
Contributed photo Former San Felipe Mustangs football player Sid Blanks, who became the first black player to play at Texas A&I University and the Lone Star Conference, went onto play in the NFL for a variety of teams including the Houston Oilers.
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ontrary to the beliefs of the young, high school football in Del Rio did not begin with the Rams. Long before the first patches of grass were planted at what would become Ram Stadium, now Walter Levermann Ram Stadium, two high schools represented our community. And while they didn’t play each other regularly — they didn’t even play in the same district until 1969! — they each produced a bevy of great players and future community leaders. They are programs that produced greats like Sid Blanks, Wayne Benson, Al Best, Danny Chavira and others. And they are the programs from which our current Rams can trace their lineage.
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In the Beginning … Football has been an organized sport in Del Rio for just over 100 years. According to a story published in the Del Rio NewsHerald in 1971, the earliest available record of a football team here was at Del Rio High School in the fall of 1914. According to the story, the team had 12 players – Curtis Osgood, Milton Smith, Ashton Garrett, Jimmy Garrett, Marat Thurmond, Hugh Goodin, Carl Friesen, Henry Horn, Louis Qualia, Bayless Miner, Oscar Morton and Buddy Cummings – and was coached by M.L. Stubblefield. The team played on a dusty patch of land located at the corner of Spring and Washington streets, which is now home to the First Presbyterian Church.
Introducing the Wildcats It wasn’t until 1921 that Del Rio High recognized the importance and health benefits of having a football team. That September, the school board allocated $250 for the team and $250 for athletics as an actual class. That same year, the team adopted a baby wildcat as its mascot. It appeared in the first team photo, sitting in the lap of quarterback and team captain Roger Thurmond. Shortly thereafter, the Del Rio Wildcats were born. There were 18 players on that inaugural team, coached by D.C. “Bobby” Cannon. Those players included Roger “Adam” Thurmond, Elvis Stewart, Alfred “Snag”